Deadly Little Lies (A Touch Novel) by Laurie Faria Stolarz

I read Deadly Little Secrets, back in 2009 and while, I enjoyed it, I got so involved with other books that I forgot to read the rest of the books in the series. I am thankful I came across Deadly Little Lies because it makes for a great read.

This sequel is a great addition to the series. It has more romance, suspense and plot twists. You will be fully entertained. I was only a bit disappointed because I was able to figure out the twist before it was revealed.

I am looking forward to the next book in this great series and you will too!

Grade: B


Synopsis [B&N]

Last fall, sixteen-year-old Camelia fell for Ben, the mysterious new boy at school who turned out to have a very mysterious gift—pyschometry, the ability to sense the future through touch. But just as Camelia and Ben's romance began to heat up, he abruptly left town. Brokenhearted, Camelia has spent the last few months studying everything she can about psychometry, and experiencing her own strange brushes with premonition. Camelia wonders if Ben's abilities have somehow rubbed off on her. Can the power of psychometry be transferred?

Even once Ben returns to school, Camelia can't get close enough to share her secret with him. Despite the romantic tension between them, Ben remains aloof, avoiding contact. Then when an unexpected kiss leads to a frightening argument, Camelia makes the painful decision to let Ben go and move on. Adam, the hot new guy at work, seems good for her in ways Ben wasn't. Adam is easygoing, and seems to really care about her.

But when Camelia and Adam start dating, a surprising love triangle results. A chilling sequence of events upturns secrets from Ben's past—and Adam's. Someone is lying, and it’s up to Camelia to figure out who—before it’s too late.

Virals by Kathy Reichs

Virals is the first book, Reichs has written for the young adult genre. It is full of drama, adventure and suspense.

Virals is "ok" up, until halfway, when it becomes rather fun, exciting and entertaining. This series definitely has the potential to be great and memorable.

Due to the slow start up with a rather preposterous set up --- I can only suggest that you let it build up before giving up on it because it does become worth your time and effort.

Grade: B-


Synopsis
Tory Brennan, niece of acclaimed forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan (of the Bones novels and hit TV show), is the leader of a ragtag band of teenage “sci-philes” who live on a secluded island off the coast of South Carolina. When the group rescues a dog caged for medical testing on a nearby island, they are exposed to an experimental strain of canine parvovirus that changes their lives forever.

As the friends discover their heightened senses and animal-quick reflexes, they must combine their scientific curiosity with their newfound physical gifts to solve a cold-case murder that has suddenly become very hot–if they can stay alive long enough to catch the killer’s scent.

Fortunately, they are now more than friends– they’re a pack. They are Virals.

Fire In The Turtle House: The Green Sea Turtle and the Fate of the Ocean Osha Gray Davidson

Fire In The Turtle House gives a compelling look into the, fate of sea turtles, the ocean and our own existence. The book flows with ease and the writing is simple enough that you don't have to be a biologist to fully understand the subject matter. This book is shocking, informative and extremely interesting.

Grade: A-

Matched by Ally Condie

Matched is a spectacular book! It is full of compelling characters, that will leave you with provocative questions. There is depth and deep meaning in this dystopian society created by Condie. The storyline is well developed and captivating. Society is in deep control by the government and everything appears perfect until small changes begin to take place as a rebellion builds. The romance is sweet, young and innocent. If you loved " The Hunger Games" trilogy, you will adore, Matched. This promises to be a spectacular trilogy. Crossed is set to come out November 1st of this year! 

Grade: A 

 Synopsis [B&N} Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow

Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

Once a Witch is pleasantly surprising. The characters and plot are well thought out and developed. This is the best YA book, I've read about witches. The main character is strong, likable and witty. All the characters complement one another perfectly, which in trun makes for a strong, enjoyable story. This story is vivid and enchanting. I am anxiously awaiting --- the next book witch will be out this August.

Grade: A 

Synopsis [B&N] Tamsin Greene comes from a long line of witches, and she was supposed to be one of the most Talented among them. But Tamsin's magic never showed up. Now seventeen, Tamsin attends boarding school in Manhattan, far from her family. But when a handsome young professor mistakes her for her very Talented sister, Tamsin agrees to find a lost family heirloom for him. The search—and the stranger—will prove to be more sinister than they first appeared, ultimately sending Tamsin on a treasure hunt through time that will unlock the secret of her true identity, unearth the sins of her family, and unleash a power so vengeful that it could destroy them all.

The Crossroads: A Haunted Mystery by Chris Grabenstein

The Crossroads is a good enough book. The storyline is simple, the story has just the right amount of suspense , action and ghosts.

There are A LOT of characters and it takes a bit of an effort to keep them all straight. I found the book enjoyable yet, I won't be reading the sequel(s) since the character's or storyline aren't very memorable for me.

Grade: B-


Synopsis

ZACK, HIS DAD, and new stepmother have just moved back to his father s hometown, not knowing that their new house has a dark history. Fifty years ago, a crazed killer caused an accident at the nearby crossroads that took 40 innocent lives. He died when his car hit a tree in a fiery crash, and his malevolent spirit has inhabited the tree ever since. During a huge storm, lightning hits the tree, releasing the spirit, who decides his evil spree isn t over . . . and Zack is directly in his sights.

Rescue: A Novel by Anita Shreve

If you haven't read, Shreve's work yet, go out and get one of her books!

Rescue is an attention grabber. The characters are well thought out and developed properly. The pace is perfect, you find yourself reading this book with ease and interest.

Shreve's characters are real --- you can definitely relate to them. This is a a character driven story that will make you think about how choices and consequences shape one's life. This family drama will keep you fully entertained.


Grade: A

Synopsis [B&N]

A rookie paramedic pulls a young woman alive from her totaled car, a first rescue that begins a lifelong tangle of love and wreckage. Sheila Arsenault is a gorgeous enigma—streetwise and tough-talking, with haunted eyes, fierce desires, and a never-look-back determination. Peter Webster, as straight an arrow as they come, falls for her instantly and entirely. Soon Sheila and Peter are embroiled in an intense love affair, married, and parents to a baby daughter. Like the crash that brought them together, it all happened so fast.

Can you ever really save another person? Eighteen years later, Sheila is long gone and Peter is raising their daughter, Rowan, alone. But Rowan is veering dangerously off track, and for the first time in their ordered existence together, Webster fears for her future. His work shows him daily every danger the world contains, how wrong everything can go in a second. All the love a father can give a daughter is suddenly not enough.

Sheila's sudden return may be a godsend—or it may be exactly the wrong moment for a lifetime of questions and anger and longing to surface anew. What tore a young family apart? Is there even worse damage ahead? The questions lifted up in Anita Shreve's utterly enthralling new novel are deep and lasting, and this is a novel that could only have been written by a master of the human heart

What the Night Knows: A Novel by Dean Koontz

What the Night Knows is the most suspenseful book, I've read in years. I was constantly looking over my shoulder and super aware of any and all unusual (and usual) nosies my house made.

Koontz is an amazing author and storyteller. He writes characters that haunt you, including very minor ones who are memorable.

You will be memorized from the very first page --- if you're not familiar with his work, this book will turn you into fan overnight.

Be prepared to be glued to this book until the very end.


Grade: A



Synopsis [B&N]

In the late summer of a long ago year, a killer arrived in a small city. His name was Alton Turner Blackwood, and in the space of a few months he brutally murdered four families. His savage spree ended only when he himself was killed by the last survivor of the last family, a fourteen-year-old boy.

Half a continent away and two decades later, someone is murdering families again, recreating in detail Blackwood’s crimes. Homicide detective John Calvino is certain that his own family—his wife and three children—will be targets in the fourth crime, just as his parents and sisters were victims on that distant night when he was fourteen and killed their slayer.

As a detective, John is a man of reason who deals in cold facts. But an extraordinary experience convinces him that sometimes death is not a one-way journey, that sometimes the dead return.

Here is ghost story like no other you have read. In the Calvinos, Dean Koontz brings to life a family that might be your own, in a war for their survival against an adversary more malevolent than any he has yet created, with their own home the battleground. Of all his acclaimed novels, none exceeds What the Night Knows in power, in chilling suspense, and in sheer mesmerizing storytelling

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

IF I Stay is ... is about a 17 year old girl, named Mia. She has been in a tragic car accident and is in "suspended state". She hears and sees things, including her own body and struggles with trying to decide it it is up to hear to "stay" or go.

There are flashback memories, some entertaining and some rather ordinary. This book is a easy read but it isn't memorable.

The character's don't really stand out and while the plot has the potential to be really good, it falls short.

Check it our or borrow it.

Grade: C

Synopsis [B&N]
In the blink of an eye everything changes. Seventeen­year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall what happened afterwards, watching her own damaged body being taken from the wreck. Little by little she struggles to put together the pieces- to figure out what she has lost, what she has left, and the very difficult choice she must make. Heartwrenchingly beautiful, Mia's story will stay with you for a long, long time.

Brady, Brady, Brady: The Complete Story of The Brady Bunch as Told by the Father/Son Team who Really Know by Sherwood Schwartz and Lloyd J. Schwartz

Brady, Brady, Brady is a quick, fun read.

If you're a fan of The Brady Bunch, you will find this book enjoyable. It is broken down into three sections and Sherwood and Llyod each tell their own stories.

This, book is a little "history" lesson on the show and how it came to be.

Grade: A

Synopsis [B&N]

The Brady Bunch is one of the most beloved series to ever grace American television screens. Whether you’ve been a devoted fan since its inception in the late 1960s, or are a more recent Brady buff thanks to its steady airing in syndication, there is an undeniable shared delight that comes from the simple-natured, humor-filled world of that picture-perfect family.

Now, for the first time, the show’s famous creator, writer, and producer Sherwood Schwartz and his son, writer and producer Lloyd Schwartz, share with their loyal audience the complete first-hand behind-the-scenes story of The Brady Bunch. From how the show was developed, pitched, greenlighted, cast, produced, and embraced, to ultimately how it changed the TV and cultural landscape of America—this book really has it all.

Sherwood and Lloyd Schwartz carefully and nostalgically recall all the details—great, small, funny, frustrating, and everything in between—that came with the show. Taking an exclusive tour of everything Brady, you’ll marvel at the stories, take pleasure in more than 50 rare photographs, and transport yourself into the show you love with the insider details you never knew.

Oogy: The Dog Only a Family Could Love by Larry Levin

Absolutely wonderful and heartwarming!

A perfect book for true animal lovers. Oogy isn't a book just about this special dog but also about his extraordinary family. Levin captures the energy, love and antics of Oggy in a way that touches your heart and reminds you to pet that special creature sitting right next to you.

The relationship between his sons is also highlighted in this book, which makes you feel a part of this family.

Levin is a man with a big heart and passion for animals which is reflected in his writing. This quick, fast, enjoyable read will become a favorite among the books you read this year. It's that memorable.

Grade: A+


Synopsis [B&N]

There was something about Oogy that made him special. Perhaps it was the missing ear, or the asymmetrical face, or the hapless look of a rescued pup who not long before had been used as bait for pit bull warriors. Whatever the qualities, it convinced Larry Levin and his twin sons to adopt this hapless, ugly pooch and make him part of their household. A heart-tugging saga for anyone who can't resist the plaintive, upturned eyes.